Mühlrose Cleared for Coal Mining: A Saxony Village Disappears, Yet One House Stands
Villagers Forced Out for Open-Pit Mining: Nearly Abandoned Mühlrose - Abandoned virtually: Mill rises due to mining relocation
Mühlrose, once the last remaining village in Saxony, is undergoing a transformation for progression of lignite mining. Virtually all dwellings have now been evacuated, except for a solitary residence whose relocation has been temporarily delayed due to personal circumstances. According to Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG (LEAG), property ownership transfer is anticipated later this year. The once-public road accessing Mühlrose from Schleife has since been isolated as private property, barring public traffic.
Lignite mining is systematically stripping the abandoned Mühlrose district of Trebendorf, paving the way for underground excavation. The LEAG remains unwavering in its belief that the extracted lignite is essential for powering the Boxberg power plant to meet constant demand until 2038's end. A sizeable proportion of Mühlrose's former population has migrated to the neighboring Schleife, where LEAG has constructed a new settlement of single-family homes for the displaced residents.
Though transformed, Mühlrose bears significant environmental and social implications:
- The expansive scale of open-pit mining often wreaks havoc on landscapes, threatening biodiversity and wildlife habitats.
- Lignite mining consumes vast quantities of water, depleting local resources and potentially causing pollution due to waste materials and chemicals used during the mining process.
- Lignite extraction and combustion spew high amounts of CO2, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, exacerbating air pollution and climate change.
- Environmentally, Mühlrose sees soil erosion and deforestation as a consequence of mining activities.
Social impacts accompanying lignite mining in Saxony are also profound:
- Entire communities risk displacement because of the land acquisitions for mining operations.
- Residents residing near mining areas grapple with amplified health risks, due to air and water contamination.
- Communities risk becoming economically reliant on unsustainable industries that provide employment.
As the primary player in Germany's lignite mining sector, particularly in Brandenburg and Saxony's Lausitz region, LEAG holds considerable influence. For further insight on LEAG's role in Mühlrose, more investigation is required, as specific data is sparse. Nonetheless, established practices dictate that companies like LEAG are responsible for:
- Operating mining excavation sites
- Converting lignite into electricity for power plants
- Managing environmental aftermath, although their effectiveness varies.
Given the destructive nature of lignite mining and associated concerns, it's probable that LEAG plays a substantial role in Mühlrose's ongoing transformation.
- In Saxony, the Boxberg power plant expects to rely on coal mining from Mühlrose for its power supply until 2038, as the lignite extracted from the mine will sustain their operations.
- Due to the massive scale of coal mining in Mühlrose, the nearby village of Schleife has resettled a portion of the displaced population, offering new single-family homes for those who lost their homes.
- Despite Mühlrose's transformation into a coal mining site, the environmental and social implications remain significant, with concerns about landscape destruction, water consumption, air pollution, and community displacement.
